


The Logic of Happiness

by auchterlonie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: A Half Ton of Baggage, Gen, Implied Slash, M/M, Science Bros, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auchterlonie/pseuds/auchterlonie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No relationship is ever simple but especially not when its carrying a half ton of green baggage. Tony and Bruce work out a few trust issues and find a way to 'fix' the Other Guy problem...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Logic of Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, this was a new relationship for me to explore and I hope you like the result. Special thanks to epeeblade and lapillus for being my betas. Their guidance and advice was and is well appreciated. All errors and weaknesses (grammar and story alike) are mine alone.
> 
> Please note I marked this Teen and Up because of some foul language.

***

Bruce Banner had wanted a break – from the Avengers, from work, and most of all, from Tony Stark.

Tony was a blessing in many ways, that much was true. No matter what was on Bruce’s mind - from the burdens of protecting the innocent to the discovery of new elements - Tony understood. They could argue and debate well into the night and it was these nights that proved the most satisfying and soothing of Bruce’s life.

But for every way that Tony was a blessing, he was also a curse. Where Tony excelled at understanding complex manipulations, he failed miserably at understanding the subtlety of everyday life. Tony was every bit the Jekyll/Hyde that Bruce was. One could grant that Bruce’s Hyde was a bit more recognizable, but when Tony felt scared or threatened, his Ego would take over and his trademarked snark would become something far more destructive. He would pester, belittle, and berate with unthinking ferocity until the threat was destroyed. In this way, Tony could turn a quiet conversation over tea into an aggravating ordeal.

And Bruce didn’t do well with aggravation.

So, he’d wanted to walk away. It was the only logical thing to do.

  
***  
He lay in bed, watching the early morning light slowly fill the room. These waking moments of half-dream haze were by far his favorite. They offered quiet peace and time to think before the stresses of the day could take hold. They were moments when he still felt human and like the Other Guy was nothing more than dream.

  
As the light grew brighter and the half-dream haze gave way to reality, Bruce felt his fear and frustration begin to rise. He felt his muscles begin to twitch and his vision begin to change as the Other Guy woke as well.

  
This was a well established part of Bruce’s morning and he’d conditioned himself to respond. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He recited a series of calming, grounding mantras and tried to build a sense of control.

  
Of course, a ‘sense’ of control was all it was. Bruce didn’t control the Other Guy so much as he convinced him to stay dormant. The Other Guy was content to stay just below the surface so long as Bruce didn’t overly aggravate him. He’d tried explaining that to Tony, who had likened the Other Guy to a flight instructor - content to let Bruce fly the plane so long as he kept them level, but able to take over completely at the first sign of trouble. It was a crude metaphor and essentially correct except that in Bruce’s scenario, the flight instructor was constantly trying to crash the plane.

  
And that was where the arguments had begun.

  
As with every other problem, Tony saw this as something he could fix. Everything was fixable to Tony Stark. It was just a matter of finding the right implants or mechanics. Tony just wouldn’t accept that the Other Guy wasn’t the problem.

  
_“A five ton gorilla pops out when you see a jack-in-the-box, and you don’t consider that to be a problem?”_

  
_“No…” Bruce took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course that’s a problem, but that’s not what I meant.”_

  
_“Then what did you mean? Because it seems to me like a pretty big problem.”_

  
_“Tony… Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”_

  
Tony just wouldn’t accept that the Other Guy wasn’t a problem that could be fixed. The Hulk wasn’t some alien parasite that latched on until it was cut out. He was an elemental part of Bruce’s core. He wasn’t pretty and he couldn’t be trusted, but he was as fundamental to Bruce’s being as any other part of him. Bruce was no longer a single man - he was two men. For Tony to say the Other Guy was a problem was to say that Bruce himself was a problem. Which hurt.

  
But more than that, the Other Guy was every bit as frustrated to be Bruce as Bruce was to be him. Bruce knew what it felt like to lose control and feel helpless in the sway of another’s will. He imagined that was what the Other Guy felt every moment he was trapped inside. As much as he wanted to keep the Hulk suppressed, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. Even a little protective of the big guy.

  
_“You get that I’m trying to help you here, right? But if you’d rather run around redecorating Manhattan every time a car backfires, then go right ahead. I love it. It keeps people on their toes.”_

  
_“Tony, please…”_

  
_“No, I get it. Why bother dealing with a problem when you can just ignore it? It’s not like you destroyed the city. No, it was ‘the Other Guy.’ Fantastic scapegoat.”_

  
Tony Stark would never understand.

  
But then again, who would understand such a thing? Everyone carried some baggage, but how many people carried a half ton of it? It wasn’t that he regretted the decision to save Rick’s life. He’d made that choice consciously and would do it again tomorrow if given the chance. But the unintended consequences were something to reckon with.

  
Bruce had neither survived his choice nor been killed by it. He’d been transformed into this husk of man who was frightened of his own shadow - or more specifically, frightened that his shadow would suddenly change into the enormous, menacing shape of the Hulk.

  
What he’d had in his life, what he’d achieved, what he’d dreamed of having… all of that was gone now. What remained was to try and find a way to live in this world without destroying it.

  
_“Seriously. Make me understand why I shouldn’t fix this.”_

  
_“Tony, I really don’t want to have this conversation right now.”_

  
_“Of course you don’t, but we need to have it anyway. You say I won’t understand. Well, make me understand. I’m a pretty smart guy.”_

  
_“Tony, it’s not about being smart, it’s about being able to…”_

  
_“Able to what? Recognize self pity? Be ashamed of something you’ve done? Because I have to tell you, I’m able to do that in spades. The difference between you and me is I’m able to deal with it. You just run and hide.”_

  
_Bruce hadn’t realized he’d crushed the frames of his glasses until he noticed the blood trickling down his fingers. So he’d walked away. It was the only logical thing to do._

  
_But Tony had persisted, following him through the lab and out onto the terrace._

  
_“You’re proving my point for me. Running away at the first sign of trouble.”_

  
_“I’m not running away, Tony, but I am walking away from this conversation. You have no idea and no right. Can’t you just back off?”_

  
_“No right?” Tony laughed. “I think I’m the only one who has that right. You’ve learned everything there is to know about me - the worst things I’ve ever done while drunk. And why did I tell you those things? Because you asked. Because I knew you’d understand. Because I’m a better man now because of those things, not in spite of them. But somehow I haven’t earned the same amount of trust in return? Well, fuck you then.”_

  
_“How can I trust you, Tony? Everything with you is about trying to fix me. Fix me, like I’m some project on your workbench. Well, I’m not a project, Tony. And neither is the Other Guy. So BACK OFF,” Bruce spat out, taking a step closer to Tony._   
_Tony had to look up several inches to continue meeting Bruce’s eyes._

  
_“Oh I’m the self-righteous prick? Tell me again about the incredible sacrifice you made to protect that kid. And while you’re at it, tell me again about all the sacrifices you’ve made since. Everything you gave up, everything you’ll never have. How the only way to protect people is to stay away from them... Play me another sad song.”_

  
_“You don’t know a goddamned thing about my life, Tony.”_

_Bruce took another step closer, looking down on Tony’s small form._

  
_“I know. Because you won’t talk to me. Maybe you’re missing the point here, but that’s kind of why we’re having this conversation."_

  
_“You have no idea what it’s like. If you go get drunk, JARVIS will stop you from causing too much trouble. But me? I don’t have a failsafe. My failsafe is staying away.”_

  
_“Bullshit. You don’t hide out to protect the world from the Other Guy, you do it to protect yourself. It’s easier than figuring out how to deal with people. You’re the selfish one here.”_

  
_“Fuck you.”_

  
_“You first.”_

  
_That’s when Bruce lost it. A two-foot wide fist lashed out at Tony Stark’s smug face. His Extremis technology protected him, wrapping him in his iron mask before the fist could connect. When it did, the force of impact sent Tony across the terrace and off the cliff’s edge. He crashed down along the cliff face, pieces of his suit flying out and adhering to his body as they could get hold. He tumbled several hundred feet before he could get the repulsors working and kicked off into the air. He spun around to see the Other Guy leap off the terrace and reach for him._

  
_Tony shot straight into the air and just out of the Hulk’s grasp. Hulk fell and bounced off the cliff face until he came to a stop on the rocky beach below. Tony flew down towards him, hovering over the sand just out of reach._

  
_“You have to admit that was pretty weak. You know I can fly, right? And about this thing called gravity? What were you going to do, sulk on the…”_

  
_The Hulk had picked up a boulder on his way to the beach and hurled it at Tony with enough force to drive him 3 inches into the cliff face. He roared and threw a fist at Tony’s head. Tony slid down and narrowly missed being hit as the Hulk’s fist slammed several further inches into the rock. Tony kicked out and away, the repulsors taking him several feet behind the Hulk._

  
_“That the best you got? Seriously, I think Steve Jobs threw a better punch than you.”_

  
_Hulk responded with a far-reaching backhand that clipped Tony’s leg as he tried to fly upwards. It knocked him just off balance and as he tried to correct, Hulk was able to grab hold of Tony’s arm. He threw Tony several hundred feet down the beach. Then roared again and leapt after him. He slammed two large fists into Tony’s armor as he’d skidded to a stop._

  
_“Jarvis, show time!” he’d shouted into his helmet._

  
_“Engaging countermeasures, sir.”_

  
_Tony’s suit lit up with flashbangs and pyrotechnics - non-lethal technologies designed to blind and stun an attacker. The Hulk flailed back, covering his eyes. Tony slowly stood up and tested the suit’s integrity. He heard a few things creak, not all of them metal._

  
_“Alright, fine. You’re about even with Steve Jobs.”_

  
_The Hulk, temporarily blinded, swung out a large hand trying to grab at Tony. Missing him, he continued to lumber forward, throwing his arms this way and that, trying to grab him._

  
_“Here, I’ll give you a hand. Marco!”_

  
_Hulk lunged towards the voice but Tony was able to easily evade._

  
_“No, no, over here. Marco!”_

  
_Again the Hulk lunged, blinking and trying desperately to recover his sight._

  
_“Not even close that time. I’m beginning to think you’re heart isn’t in it.”_

  
_Up the beach they went, Hulk lunging and Tony evading. Every so often the Hulk would get too close and Tony would fire into the cliff face causing minor rockslides. They’d bury the Hulk for a few moments until he’d dug himself out, and off they’d continued. Nothing meant to hurt him, just to frustrate and wear on him._

  
***  
 _After a considerable time, the Hulk dug himself out of a slide but didn’t continue on. He sat on the rubble and looked vaguely in Tony’s direction. His eyesight had returned well enough to pick out the figure hovering just ever out of reach._

  
_“Why, Tony?”had rumbled out from his deep voice._

  
_Tony cut the repulsors and stood on the beach._

  
_“Why can’t you catch me or why are we doing this?”_

  
_“This.”_

  
_Tony walked toward him._

  
_“Because you don’t scare me. You never have.”_

  
_The Hulk smiled. “I should…”_

  
_Tony lifted his helmet’s face. “Yeah, maybe, but I get that a lot.”_

  
_The Other Guy’s thoughts slowly started to process._

  
_“You did this on purpose. You planned this whole thing.”_

  
_“Yup.”_

  
_“Why would you do this to me?”_

  
_“I was bored.”_

  
_The Other Guy stared at him._

  
_“And… because I needed to prove a point,” he’d said, taking a few steps closer._

  
_“Which was?”_

  
_“You don’t think you have a failsafe, but that’s not true. You have me.”_

  
_The Other Guy’s vision was steadily changing and he could see Tony a lot more clearly. Almost see the earnestness in his face._   
_He seemed a bit taller than he had a few minutes earlier._

  
_“And you think I won’t get that sometimes you feel like you’re the ‘other guy’ instead of the other way around. But I do. I get that,” Tony had said. “I remember having days when I didn’t know who the hell I was. But whoever I was? I didn’t like him.”_

  
_Then he’d walked forward the rest of the way and squatted down to look the other guy in his eyes._

  
_“And I needed you to see that you can’t hurt me. Except by shutting me out.”_

  
_They sat quietly for a time. Bruce stared out at the water and listened to the waves quietly lap at the rocks._

  
_“That was a pretty risky game you played just to prove your points.”_

  
_Tony had looked away, casually picking up a pebble and tossing it out onto the sand._

  
_“Yeah, well… what’s life without a little risk?” He tossed another pebble towards the water. “And besides, it got you naked on a beach, so…”_

  
_Bruce self-consciously looked down and realized his body had returned to its non-green form sans the clothes he’d been wearing when the Hulk ripped through._

  
_“Ahhh…. Sonofabitch.” he’d said, trying to cover up._

  
_“Relax, I bought the beach this morning. I didn’t want you to frighten old women and children.”_

  
_“But you didn’t think to bring any clothes.”_

  
_“Well… no, I guess I didn’t think that part through.”_

  
_“No, I think you did.”_

  
_They’d sat quietly for another few moments._

  
_“Please don’t ever do this again, Tony. I don’t like losing control.”_

  
_“I know. I won’t. But you have to promise me the same. You can’t just hide from me.”_

  
_“I know. I won’t.”_

  
_They’d stayed on the beach for a little while before heading back to the house together._

  
***  
The smell of coffee brewing somewhere in the house snapped Bruce from his morning reverie. He suddenly realized that the Other Guy hadn’t so much as twitched as he’d thought over and remembered the events of yesterday. He smiled. Perhaps Tony had ‘fixed’ it after all. All the calming mantras in the world were nothing compared with the peace he’d found on that beach.

  
And so he got up and went out to find Tony. It was the only logical thing to do.


End file.
